The Awakening
by HumanBarricade
Summary: Despite Norman Osborn's memory loss, he and Harry still aren't getting along too well. Another argument drives Harry to leave the house. Something begins to wake up inside him, something he thought he was finally rid of. (Sort of a sequel to "Dormant." This, however, is not a one-shot.)
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

This evening seemed particularly awkward for Harry and his father. They both sat silently at the dinner table, staring down at the cooked lobster on their plates.

Harry received yet another C on his math test. Despite his father's amnesia, the grade still angered him. Norman yelled at Harry when he picked him up from school and ended up giving him the silent treatment all the way home and up until dinner.

" _How could you drop back down to a C?_ " his father had said in the limo. " _One of your report cards had a B-. I thought you were improving!_ "

 _I was_ , Harry thought to himself, both then in the limo and at the dinner table. _I was until you became a monster. I was until you left me all alone. I was until no grade was good enough for you._

Prodding the scarlet lobster with his fork, he sighed. Norman glanced over at Harry.

After sighing himself, he asked, "It's undercooked, don't you agree?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah."

 _The lobster isn't the problem_ , he thought, setting his fork on the plate.

Norman had a butler dispose of the perfectly good lobster. As soon as he left the room, he glared over at Harry.

"Are you going to study?" he asked as Harry plopped onto the couch in the living room.

"What's the point? I'll just get a C again," Harry scoffed, crossing his arms.

"You are not going to play those worthless video games either way! My son will not give up nor waste his time. I'm sure you don't want to get held back, or go to summer school," Norman demanded and threatened.

Norman stood, angered, in front of the huge flat screen TV. Harry refused to make eye contact. Whatever Norman said wouldn't suddenly give him an urge to study.

"A C is passing," Harry grumbled.

"A C is average. _Anyone_ can get a C," Norman corrected.

The way his father emphasized _anyone_ struck at his core. It was as if his father was saying anyone could replace him. Anyone could get better grades than Harry.

Noticing how much his previous comment had flustered Harry, Norman added, "What are Peter's grades like? Are they 'passing' as well?"

 _You did not just compare me to him_ , Harry growled in his head. He wanted to yell that as his father. Instead, he gritted his teeth and pulled his hands into fists. Somehow he had to get back at his father.

"Mom wouldn't have patronized me like that!" Harry shouted, standing up from the couch.

"Don't you dare raise you voice at me!" Norman yelled back, taking a step towards Harry. "And don't _ever_ mention her in that tone."

"I hate you," Harry mumbled, shooting his father a nasty scowl.

Turning to leave, his father immediately seized his wrist. Norman pulled Harry over to his side. Harry half expected Norman to slap him.

"You ungrateful brat, your mother should have been the one who lived," his father growled in his face.

Staring into his father's eyes with shock and disbelief, Harry freed his wrist. He turned away. He wouldn't dare cry. That's what his father wanted. Clenching his jaw, he stalked off up the stairs.

 _You're not my father_ , Harry thought. He leaned against the wall just outside his room. Norman remained downstairs. The urge to cry or to somehow react overpowered him as he thrust his fist against the wall. It left a small dent. Some skin peeled from his knuckles, but there was no blood.

"Ouch," he complained under his breath, grasping his fist and pressing his forehead to the wall.

After taking a few deep breaths, he snuck up to the roof of the penthouse. Going outside always calmed his nerves. He leaned on a ledge at his favorite spot, the spot where he used to mope about having lost his father to the Goblin and Spider-man would drop by to update him on how his father was doing.

"What is his problem?" Harry muttered into the air. "I do what he wants and he gets mad. I don't do what he wants and he gets mad. I put in minimal effort and he gets mad. I just can't win…"

Clutching the sleeves of his sweater, he gazed down at the cars and people below. So many people would probably love to take his place. Who wouldn't want to be rich and inherit Oscorp? Then again, Norman would want someone with above average grades. He'd want someone like Peter.

"My father would rather have my best friend than me. The Goblin even said so. He and Peter have so much in common. Did I just get all the rejected genes or something?" Harry wondered.

A pit began to grow in his core. The more he thought the more he wanted to leave. He had to get out of here. Somewhere, anywhere but here would work. He didn't want to see his father tonight or tomorrow or maybe even forever. Yeah, that sounded nice.

Creating a plan, he pulled out his cell phone and called Pete's number. He held the phone to his ear. … _Ring_ …. A small gust of wind sent shivers down Harry's neck. … _Ring_ … He took a breath. … _Ring_ … Slowly, he rolled his shoulders. … _Ring_ … Harry grew impatient. … _Ring_ … It went straight to voicemail.

"Come on, it's barely eight o'clock," he sighed, promptly hanging up before recording a message.

Quickly, he called Peter's number again. He rubbed his shoe against the cement as he waited. … _Ring_ … _ring_ … _ring_ … _ring_ … _ring_ … Again there was no answer. No, he needed Peter to answer. He needed someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't talk down to him in a degrading manner.

"Please, just answer," Harry begged, calling the number for a third time.

… _Ring_ …

… _Ring_ …

… _Ring_ …

… _Ring_ …

… _Ri-_

After jamming the end call button with his thumb, he crossed his arms and glared down at the roof. What was Peter doing? Maybe he was ignoring his calls. No, no he wouldn't do that, especially after three calls. He had to be busy with something.

Harry hit his fist against the ledge and snuck back down to his bedroom. While searching through his closet for an empty backpack, he didn't hear his father at all. He either went to sleep early or was cooped up in his office. As long as he stayed where he was, Harry could leave without him noticing.

Quietly, he packed some spare clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, his wallet, and his phone charger in the backpack. Coming back soon wasn't an option to him. The longer he left the better.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoy this new little story I'm doing! After Flash became Agent Venom I just got so angry... Harry was Venom over and over again yet Flash of all people gets Venom?! I'm sure it made sense in the comics, but in the cartoon it's just so awkward and forced. Anyways, I shall restore the natural balance of things. Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for what I should do with this. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Spider-Man swung over a crowd of people as a man weaved through the crowd. While taking care of a previous criminal, some pickpocket came and took his cell phone. Even now as the guy fled he took smart phone after smart phone and stuffed them into his coat. Spidey managed to chase him into an alley.

"Come on, man, stealing smart phones isn't cool," Spider-Man chided, thwipping a web at the thief's feet.

He fell over the web with a _thud_ as he hit the ground. The man cursed under his breath, vainly trying to pull off the sticky substance around his legs. Spider-Man leapt down from the roof of a nearby building.

"Now just hand them over and I won't have to rough you up anymore," he told the thief.

"UP YOURS!" the man yelled, pulling out a gun.

Spidey-senses screaming, Spider-Man jumped over the man, doing a backflip, and landed just behind him. He thwipped a couple webs to both of the guy's hands and pulled them apart. The gun fell to the ground with a metal _clunk_.

After growling a not-so-friendly word, the man let out a sigh.

"Fine, whatever, you got me. You can have your stupid phone back. Someone's been calling you nonstop anyways," the thief muttered.

Spider-Man webbed him to the nearest wall after plucking his phone, and countless others, out of his trench coat. He guessed that the guy planned on selling them since they all looked pretty expensive.

"And here I was thinking I was the only one with sticky fingers," Spidey laughed. "At least I'm not a kleptomaniac."

Two cops suddenly bolted into the alley and stopped when they noticed Spider-Man. He carefully laid all of the phones on the ground after slipping his own under his costume.

"Thanks for catching that crook," one of them thanked, before Spidey swung up onto the building.

"No problemo! Just trying to be your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," he shouted back.

He thwipped a web to the next building and swung several blocks away before landing on a taller building. His phone began to ring again. Clumsily, he pulled out his phone, almost dropped it, and just barely saved it by snatching it up inches from hitting the roof.

Sighing, he looked at the caller id and gasped, "Harry!? Oh crap, three calls already?"

Quickly he answered, "Hey Har, so sorry I missed the first three calls. I- my phone was—it was buried! Yes, it was buried under clothes in my room. I've been meaning to clean it up. So how are you?"

Peter chuckled nervously. If Harry had called that many times this probably was no joking matter.

"Hi, Pete," Harry answered, sounding quite glum. "I really need to talk to you."

"What's the matter?" Peter asked, concern showing in his voice.

"It's my dad, he's…I just don't want to be near him right now," Harry admitted.

"Harry, you should come over. It'd be better to talk about this in person."

"Okay, I'll be there soon," he assured Peter weakly. He then added a quiet, "Thank you."

Before Peter could respond any further, Harry hung up. He once again put his phone away and began to swing towards home. Norman _seemed_ to act nicer ever since the Goblin left. Maybe the way he treated Harry was just part of his nature. If that was so, no amount of lost memories could change that.

"I don't envy you one bit, Har," Spider-Man thought out loud to himself.

* * *

Luckily, he made his way back home before Harry arrived. Peter quickly peeled off his costume and hid it in an extra secret secure spot. He spent the rest of his time cleaning up his messy room. Soon the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Peter shouted, bounding down the stairs and past Aunt May standing up from the couch.

He opened the door to reveal a gloomy looking Harry. From just the way his gaze darted to the floor and how he awkwardly held his arms around himself, Peter could tell Norman had done a number on him.

"Hey," Peter greeted, pulling off a half smile. "Come in."

"Okay," Harry sighed, unable to return a smile.

Aunt May gasped when she saw how miserable he looked. Instantly, she rushed over to him and hugged him. A little bit shocked but more grateful, he hugged her back.

"Oh, Harry, what's the matter? You're not hurt, are you? I'm so glad you came," she started.

"I'm…it's my dad. He's being so difficult. I couldn't stand to stay another minute in that house with him," he forced, his voice cracking.

He held down a huge urge to break down and cry. He felt tired of feeling vulnerable. Every time he cried in his father's presence he was harshly criticized and mocked for doing so. Crying meant weakness. Norman would not tolerate weakness. However, Norman wasn't here, so Harry let out a sob as soon as Peter touched his shoulder.

"That's okay, Harry. We're happy to have you here," Aunt May said comfortingly.

"You can stay as long as you need to," Peter added.

"Thank you," Harry breathed, letting go of Aunt May.

Peter left his hand on Harry's shoulder. To Harry, it felt like a lifeline. It felt like the one thing keeping him from full on crying. Norman had never even pretended to offer such comfort. Just patting his back was like pulling teeth for him.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Aunt May asked. "At least drink a cup of water."

"Sure, anything's fine," Harry mumbled, letting his gaze sink to the floor again.

She then scurried to the kitchen.

"Do you want to sit down?" Peter asked, hoping to make him more comfortable.

"Yeah." Harry sat down on the couch.

Peter sat next to him and rested a hand on Harry's back. He wanted to let him know that he was safe. Norman couldn't hurt him here.

"Harry, did he hurt you?" he asked, unknowingly balling up his fist.

Harry looked over at Peter. If Norman's abuse had been physical then it wouldn't have lasted so long. Someone would have noticed bruises and broken bones. However, verbal abuse, Norman's personal favorite, was a lot harder to spot. If he told someone that his father was mad at him for getting poor grades then no one would bat an eye.

"Not physically. He's mean, but he's not stupid," he replied, and then added with a sad smile, "Pete, you look like you're ready to go over there and beat him up."

Peter blushed and released his fist. Now was not the time to go all Spidey on Norman.

"Sorry, you know how I feel about people who beat on others," Peter said, clearly embarrassed.

"If only it were that simple," Harry breathed.

Maybe it would have been better if Norman was the physically abusive type. At least then his torment wouldn't have lasted so long.

Noticing his inner turmoil, Peter cautiously asked, "Is it okay if I asked why he got mad at you?"

"I got all Cs again," he admitted, resting his head in his hands. "And that's when I do try."

Harry could feel a lump growing in his throat. Peter rubbed his back. He could feel his shallow breathing, occasionally interrupted by an almost sob.

"I'm sorry," Peter sighed, sincerely feeling partially responsible.

After recruiting all of his newer teammates and training them, he had even less time to spend with Harry. They spent most of the time they did still have together in a fun way rather that studying. Besides, studying deeply frustrated Harry and if Peter had to suddenly leave to save the day as Spidey, he'd look like a jerk for bailing on him.

Aunt May returned with a glass of water and a bowl of orange slices. She gently set them on the coffee table.

"It's getting kind of late for me. You can sleepover if you want. Peter knows where the air mattress is," she invited tiredly.

"Thank you both so much," Harry thanked, taking the glass.

"Good night," she said before going up the stairs.

Harry drank half of the water in the glass before setting it down. Slowly, he looked up Peter. The last words his father had told him rung throughout his head: _your mother should have been the one who lived_. They still stung.

"Peter, he hates me," he sobbed, covering his face with his hands.

"Shhh…it's okay. He's probably stressed out from work…but that doesn't give him the right to take it out on you. He can't hate you. You're his son," Peter assured, pulling Harry closer.

"He told me that—that my mom should have been the one who lived," he cried into Peter's shoulder.

"What?" Peter said, surprised that Norman would even say such a thing.

He thought Norman was cold, but not to that extent. Peter was sure that, deep down, he loved Harry. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Norman always was a monster who only used his son to his advantage.

"He'd rather have me dead," Harry confided.

Peter could feel Harry tremble in his arms. It had been the opposite when Peter's parents died and when Uncle Ben passed away. At least he could finally return the favor.

"No one wants you dead," he promised, hugging Harry.

They both remained silent for a while, except for Harry's occasional sniffling. He couldn't help but remember how his father brought up Peter. He was more of a son to Norman than Harry could ever hope to be. He pulled out of the hug. His gaze shifted to Peter, only this time in a defensive manner.

"He compared me to you. He asked why I couldn't be smarter like you," Harry spat, his voice still quivering from his previous crying.

"You're not me, Harry. He can't expect you to be someone else," Peter replied, shocked at Harry's accusing tone.

"You're what he wants. The perfect son," he mused.

"I—I can't control what he thinks or wants. I can't help but be smart. And I'll never be his son. Only you can do that," Peter explained, trying to put his arm back on Harry's shoulder to calm him.

"He doesn't love me because of you," Harry hissed, pushing away Peter's arm.

Peter stared at Harry. Realizing his mistake, Harry fixed his gaze back onto the floor. How could he lash out at Peter?

"I…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…He just pisses me off so badly. You didn't deserve any of that…That should've been for him. I—I need to cool down, go outside maybe," Harry struggled, trying to apologize.

Peter never realized that Harry envied him of all people. Long ago, Peter used to envy Harry for having so much money and a father, but that only counted for so much. He stayed silent as Harry stood up and walked outside.

* * *

 **I make no such promises that chapters will come very quickly like this one.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 **I am going to officially declare that this story is post Season 3 and pre Season 4. Sorry this took so long. I had issues keeping Spidey's team in character so after months of struggling I cut them out mostly. I hate them so that's why.**

* * *

After Harry closed the door, Peter immediately stood. He sort of understood what Harry was going through. He at least knew how stressful it had to be with a coldhearted father. Cautiously, he opened the front door and closed it behind himself. Harry leaned against the railing of the porch, his back faced towards Peter.

"Are you all right?" Peter asked, strolling up next to Harry.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit frustrated," Harry mumbled, rubbing his face.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Peter wondered.

"If anything, you should be mad at me," Harry replied.

They both half smiled. He couldn't be mad at Harry. Now that he thought about it, Harry had more reasons to be mad than he did.

Peter reminded, "Even after all the times I couldn't hang out with you and gave the lamest excuses on the planet?"

"Maybe we both have reasons to be mad at each other," Harry sighed, looking back towards the cityscape.

Peter sighed quietly. He dreaded these awkward moments when every word he said could irritate Harry in an instant. Maybe they both held sad smiles, but Peter knew that he had just stirred up something. Harry's smile slowly diminished as he stared off into the distance.

"Are you ever going to tell me the real reason you couldn't hang out with me?" he asked.

Peter glanced over at Harry. The question slightly caught him off guard, though he should have expected it. He couldn't just say, "Well I'm Spider-Man so...yeah." Another lame excuse wouldn't do either. He needed a better lie.

"I—," Peter began, his lie still forming. "I'm going to couples yoga with MJ!"

He mentally bashed his head against a wall. How could he even begin to get Harry to believe the horrible excuse he had just uttered? Harry gave him a strange look.

"Isn't that for expecting mothers?" Harry asked.

Peter blushed a bright red. This excuse proved more difficult to explain than he thought.

"I-I'm not sure. We're just doing it to stay fit, you know?" Peter responded with an awkward smile.

"Yeah, sure," Harry grumbled with annoyance, clearly not believing his excuse.

"Harry, I—" Peter began.

"Just stop giving me fake excuses!" Harry shot, grabbing Peter's shirt collar and shoving him against the outside wall of the house.

"Harry…"

Peter stared into Harry's eyes and then down at his right arm, pinning him to the wall. Venom covered his arm in crisscrossed patches while his eyes had become a deep black.

"Or should I say Venom?" he asked, noticing that as soon as he said 'Venom' Harry backed down.

"What? No, no…it can't be," Harry mumbled, stepping away from Peter and looking down at his arm.

Horrified and confused, he held his Venom-covered arm close to his chest. He sunk down to his knees, his throat burning.

"How?" Harry whispered, forcing his eyes shut.

Peter knelt down in front of him. Neither knew how Venom came back. All of these reasons for Harry to be mad, however, didn't exactly help.

"Har—" he began.

"Stay away from me!" Harry warned, scooting away. "I don't want to hurt you."

Peter looked down at the little symbiote. Maybe it had caused Harry to lash out at him, but it definitely wasn't strong enough to take control.

"You won't hurt me. We're friends," Peter assured, reaching out to touch Harry's shoulder.

"I'm a monster," Harry whispered.

Peter's right arm successfully landed on Harry's left shoulder.

" _Venom_ is a monster. You're my best friend," Peter corrected.

Harry looked down at Venom and argued, "Venom might as well be me. No matter how many times he leaves or I'm supposedly cured he always comes back."

"You just need some help, a real working cure," Peter suggested.

Harry glanced up at him with a morbid expression. He started to feel like there was no cure. Spider-Man tried to help him countless times, but that obviously hadn't worked.

"From who?" Harry sighed, gazing down at the ground.

"Spider-Man and shield helped you last time, right? If we can contact them—" Peter started.

Harry shot, "How are we going to do that? It's not like they have a web page or give out their number."

Sighing, Peter looked off into the distance. Harry was right. They had no way of contacting Shield, or at least Peter Parker didn't have an inconspicuous way. If he suddenly called Shield, that would raise suspicions. Spider-man couldn't magically show up while Peter magically disappeared. Harry would catch onto that quickly, too. There could be a non-Spider-man solution. Perhaps Oscorp had something they could use.

"Harry, I think I have an idea," he blurted.

"What?"

"I need you to trust me."

Harry raised an eyebrow. The last Peter said that was after Harry had broken his leg. The way Peter said it this time, however, troubled him. It lacked a comforting tone.

"Seriously, Peter, just tell me what it is," Harry groaned, firmly grabbing his Venom-covered arm as if that would stop it from spreading.

Peter insisted, "Let's go to Oscorp. I think that I can do something."

"You? What are _you_ going to do?" Harry exclaimed.

He didn't doubt that Peter was talented in the scientific field. Shield had failed to cure him, Spider-man had failed as well. Why would Peter's attempt end differently?

"I'll show you when we get there."

Very desperate for a cure, Harry reluctantly agreed, "Ugh, all right. We can try whatever it is. Just hurry, I'm not sure how long it'll be before Venom takes over."

The two quickly took a cab to Oscorp while Aunt May slept. Peter covered Harry's arm with a coat of his to hide it from anyone they passed along the way. Once the two entered Oscorp, they took the elevator to a seemingly random floor.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, paying more attention to his arm that the floor number displayed.

"The genetics branch," Peter replied, trying to think of what he would do once they got there. "There might be something there that we could use."

Carefully, Harry peeled off the coat covering his arm. He gasped. Venom now enveloped him from his fingers to the beginning of his neck.

"It's spreading!" he exclaimed, pressing his back to the elevator to stay away from his friend.

"Whoa, stay calm. Try to control it. We're almost there."

Peter wondered what he could do that he hadn't done yet. The cure Doc Oc used on Norman and the Shield crew worked without anyone still having pieces of Venom on them. The only problem was what to do with the rejected and violent symbiote afterwards. He couldn't fight it off or Harry would figure out that he was Spider-man. He had to cure Harry, though. Maybe it was time that Harry found out anyways.

Once the elevator door opened, Peter rushed inside. He began taking beakers full of the ingredients he needed. Working from memory would have to do. Meanwhile, Harry sat down in a nearby lab chair. He watched the symbiote weakly spread on him.

"How did you even come back?" he mumbled under his breath.

Some part of Venom bit him. He bit his lip. It felt like millions of mosquitoes all over his arm bit him at the same time. The symbiote began to spread quicker now.

Harry groaned, "What the? No! Get off me."

Peter glanced over at Harry. He had to hurry. Venom was covering half of his torso now and moving onto his legs. He'd cover all of Harry soon.

"Hang on, Harry, I'm almost done," he shouted, pouring in the last of the ingredients.

 _We missssed you_ , Venom hissed to Harry.

"Get out of my head!" Harry shrieked as the symbiote bit him again.

Taking advantage of his pain, Venom absorbed his head. He fought with Harry for control. There had to be something that he hated, something he could use. Ah yes, Norman was perfect.

"Noorrrmaaannnn," Venom growled, now controlling Harry.

As Peter spun around at the sound of Venom's voice, his eyes widened. He was too late. Venom jumped through the nearest window and swung away.

"No, he's after his dad again," Peter said out loud to himself.

Luckily he brought his Spidey costume along. It'd be stupid to leave home without it. He changed and brought a few vials of the cure for Venom. Hopefully he could coax Harry out of hurting his father again.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Hidden deep in shadows, Venom stood over Norman, asleep in his bed. Venom prodded at the fresh wounds in Harry's mind, his memories of his father yelling at him. He latched onto the pain, the anger, and every other negative emotion Harry felt in those moments.

"You hurt usss," he hissed.

Stirring in his bed, Norman groaned, "What the—? Harry?"

Shrieking, Venom pounced onto him. His muscular, black arms restrained Norman.

"We hate you! You're no father. You mussst leave usss," Venom growled.

Venom shrieked again as something bit Harry's skin all over. Tiny things crawled in the symbiote, controlling it. They compelled it to take Norman.

"Harry, what have you done?!" Norman yelled, glaring up at his son.

Venom shouted, "Shut up!"

The symbiote covered Norman's mouth. It hated his voice. He used it as a weapon. Slinging Norman over his shoulder, he left the penthouse.

* * *

"How did he get so fast?" Peter breathed through his Spidey mask.

He swung as fast as he could to the Osborn's home. Something told him that Norman would be hurt or fighting off Harry. He wished that he and Harry could just get along. Throwing Venom into the mix only made things worse.

Turning a corner, Spider-man saw Venom leap from the penthouse with Norman. That screaming had to be Norman's. Wait, he wasn't exactly screaming. He was yelling.

Bewildered, Spider-man mumbled to himself, "Where are they going? Why would Venom…? Oh no."

* * *

The symbiote tightly held its hand over Norman's mouth as they entered a dark tunnel. It could see perfectly in the dark. Wading through water, it eventually came to a dry portion. Soft chartreuse lighting glowed far off down the pipe.

"Ah, there you are, Norman. I've been waiting a long time to see you again. I bet you don't remember me with that amnesia of yours," Doctor Octopus chuckled as Venom dragged Norman into his lair.

Venom bound Norman to a nearby slanted table. Norman stared at the man with overgrown, greasy hair and extra mechanical arms.

"Otto Octavius? Is that you? What happened to you? You're supposed to be—" Norman began.

"Dead? Yes, I was _supposed_ to be. That is until you brought me back only to do your bidding."

Octavius shoved a metal claw at Norman, gritting his teeth.

"My bidding?" Norman asked.

"You don't remember enough to understand. No matter. I can still have my revenge."

He grinned down at Norman before gagging him. Walking back to his computer screens, he pulled up a file on the Goblin. Norman stared at the pictures. He had no idea what his crazy employee was talking about.

Octavius added, "There's just one more person I'm waiting for. An uninvited but expected guest."

"Lil' old me?" Spider-man asked, dangling down from a web behind Doc Oc. "I'm flattered."

"Restrain him so that I can take his blood!" Doc Oc yelled at Venom.

Glaring down at Norman, Venom growled. He desired to hurt him, maybe even end him. This other man's yelling annoyed him.

Spidey quickly jumped at Oc. He dodged, one of his claws grabbing Spider-man's ankle and tossing his away.

Pressing a button on his computer, Oc yelled, "You will obey me, symbiote!"

Feeling the bites again, Venom shrieked and lunged towards Spider-man. If he couldn't make the biting stop he'd have to fight the Spider. Spider-man jumped away from Venom, not wanting to hurt his friend.

"Harry, fight this. You always manage to fight Venom off. Come on. I know you can do this," he coaxed.

The symbiote bat its large claw at him, nearly tearing his suit. Spider-man reluctantly kicked Venom in the face. He couldn't risk letting Oc get his blood. It was bad enough that Harry was Venom again. If Norman became the Goblin, he may never come back.

Spider-man shouted, "Don't let Venom control you. Better yet, don't let Oc control you! Why are you even listening to him anyways?"

"When I recreated Venom for Loki you didn't think I'd forget about Harry Osborn, did you? Maybe you and Shield retrieved most of the leftover symbiotes, but I knew whatever was left would be attracted to him. After all, he does hate his father. We both have that in common," Oc replied to Spider-man, circling Norman's table.

"But how are you controlling him? He's an irrational, chaotic symbiote!" Spider-man asked, leaping over Venom and onto a pipe overhead.

"Trade secret, Spider-man. Besides, after Norman becomes the Goblin again it won't matter. You can't fight off all of us alone."

While Spider-man was distracted, Venom jumped up towards him. He tackled Spider-man to the floor. The two engaged a short fist-fight before Venom pinned Spider-man's arms behind his back.

Venom hissed in his ear, "Quit ssstruggling ssspider."

"Harry—," he mumbled.

The symbiote brashly reminded him, "We are _Venom_."

One of Venom's large claws pushed Spider-man's head into the floor. Spider-man struggled, attempting to free one of his arms or even use one of his legs to kick Venom, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Oc quickly came into view, towering over him.

"Tisk tisk, you never learn. Where is your pathetic team? Did you forget to bring them?" Oc asked, sneering.

"I can take you with both hands tied behind my back," Spider-man shot.

"Sure you can," Oc chuckled, clearly amused. "Now, before I get a blood sample, I'm curious. Just who are you?"

One of Oc's metal arms slowly came towards Spidey's head. Realizing how serious the situation had become, he struggled more violently. If only he could distract Venom.

He asked, "Hey, Venom, buddy, what you doing with me? I thought you wanted to attack Norman. Why listen to what Oc's saying when Norman is just sitting over there?"

Narrowing his gaze, Venom glanced up at Norman. Nothing was biting him at the moment. The Spider was right about Norman just lying over there. While distracted, Spider-man freed one of his arms and punched Venom in the face. He fell backwards, away from Spider-man. Spidey took the opportunity to jump onto Doc Oc, causing him to fall forward and slightly slip, then to hop over to Norman. Venom simply watched.

"No! You imbecile! Grab him and unmask him!" Oc yelled at Venom.

"Stop yelling at usss!" Venom hissed.

"Do as I say, you brat."

Oc's metallic tentacle landed on the button, causing Venom to get bit again. Shrieking, the symbiote ran towards Spider-man.

"Sorry, Norman, gotta run," Spider-man said, removing his gag before swinging away.

"Spider-man! Help my son!" Norman pleaded.

Spider-man swung around and crawled along the walls as Venom chased after him. Losing his patience, Doc Oc used his metal arms to pin him to the wall.

"Unmask him," he commanded.

Groaning, Spider-man flexed his muscles trying to get out of Oc's grip. Venom came face-to-face with Spider-man. His black claw reached out towards his head.

"Harry!" Norman yelled from behind them.

"Shut up," Oc groaned. "Do as you're told, Venom."

For a moment Venom looked over at Norman, but was quickly reminded of the task at hand by Oc. His white eyes glared at Spider-man.

"Don't do this, Harry. You don't want to help him."

Spider-man managed to get one of his web shooters free and blind Venom with a web for a brief moment. He then hit a button on Oc's computer with another web. A panel full of details about nano-bots coursing through Venom being used to control him popped up. Venom tore off the web from his face.

"Nano-bots? Oc, why didn't say so?" Spider-man said.

He shot an electric web at Venom and tazed him. Venom shrieked.

"No!" Oc yelled, digging a metal claw into Spider-man's web shooter.

The move backfired and ended up sending an electric stream through his tentacle to himself. Yelling, he backed up frantically. Now free, Spider-man dashed to the computer and disabled the nano-bots.

"Harry," he said, standing in front of Venom.

The hulking mass of goo covering his friend glared down at him.

"Err, Venom," he corrected. "Oc can't control you anymore. If you're mad at anyone it should be him."

"My father," Venom growled, turning his head towards Norman.

"Can wait. Aren't you mad at Oc for controlling you? Didn't the nano-bots hurt you?"

Spider-man hoped that he could convince Venom to attack Doc Oc while he freed Norman and got his cure for Venom together.

"Fine. Get out of my way," Venom scoffed, brashly pushing Spider-man aside as he sprinted to Doc Oc.

Doctor Octopus had barely come back to his computer when Venom drug his massive claw through it. All of the screens went black.

"You worthless brat," he shot. "You couldn't even—"

Venom grabbed his neck. Oc desperately attempted to pull off his hands with his metallic tentacles.

Venom warned, " _No one_ controlsss Venom."

* * *

 **The Awakening is back! I'm hoping to wrap this up fairly soon so look forward to that.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

"What happened to my son?" Norman asked as Spider-man removed his restraints.

"It's a long story," Spider-man sighed. "Basically, he's been taken over by a symbiote that's fueled by his anger."

Norman glanced over at Venom, then back at Spider-man.

"Are you going to help him?"

"I've got a cure ready. I just need to get it into my web-shooter."

Spider-man quickly pulled out the cure and placed it into his web shooter. Venom still tussled with Oc.

Noticing Norman was free, Oc spat at Venom, "Why don't you go torment your father that you hate so much?"

Venom punched Doc Oc away.

"Get out," he growled, holding his fists at his sides.

Oc smirked and quickly left. Spider-man ran over to Venom. Before he could react to Oc's escape, Venom lunged towards Norman.

"I don't think so," Spider-man mumbled, leaping and tackling Venom.

In an instant he shot the cure into Venom. The symbiote shrieked and hissed as it died. Soon Harry came into view. Spider-man knelt down and held an unconscious Harry in his arms. Norman rushed over.

"Harry?" he said, taking his son in his arms.

Harry's blue eyes slowly opened. He looked up at his father, taking in his extremely worried expression. Norman stared down at his son.

"How could you do this to me?" Norman asked, becoming furious. "You were this monster."

Harry couldn't stand the way his father glared down at him. His gaze seemed to pierce his soul.

"I thought that I had lost you for good," Norman added in a gentler tone, tightly hugging Harry.

Completely in shock, Harry sat still. He remembered being ready to hurt his father as Venom. Maybe Venom would've killed him. Deep down that wasn't what he really wanted. This, his father finally showing that he cared for him, was what he had wanted all along.

"I hate to interrupt, but we should probably get going before Oc tries to send some octo-bots after us," Spider-man said.

He escorted Norman and Harry safely home, keeping an eye out for Oc if he decided to rear his ugly head again.

"Thank you, Spider-man," Norman said, keeping a hand on Harry's back.

"You're welcome. I hope you two have a better night without Oc around," he replied.

He glanced at Harry. He hoped he'd be able to get along with Norman at least for the night. Reluctantly, he left.

"What happened to you?" Norman asked, grabbing Harry's shoulders.

His tone was less accusatory than usual, but still had that extreme urgency for an answer. Harry looked away from his father.

Harry answered, "I-I couldn't control that symbiote that Doctor Octopus sent after me. It took over me and went after you."

"Has this ever happened to you before?"

"A couple times before you lost your memory," he admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"How was I supposed to? I never thought Venom would come back. I thought it'd be better if you never remembered those horrible things."

"What else aren't you telling me?" Norman asked.

Harry pulled away from his father and shied away.

"Harry, please, I need to know. Octavius mentioned that he wanted to make me the Goblin again. What was he talking about?"

Norman put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Rubbing his face, Harry shook his head. He couldn't tell his father about what a monster he was before. About how he abducted Peter, terrorized the city, and even hurt him. The amnesia was supposed to make things better. His father was supposed to be a better person now.

"You were a monster," Harry uttered.

"Harry," Norman said, making Harry look up at him. "I don't ever want to be that monster again."

* * *

Harry sat in the kitchen holding the landline telephone. He'd left his cell at Peter's. He dialed Peter's number and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Peter answered.

"Hey, Peter, it's Harry," he said.

"Harry?! Are you all right," Peter asked.

"I'm fine, Pete. Spider-man saved the day, as always. I'm at home," Harry replied.

"That's good. I'm glad you're okay. Are you and your dad…?"

"He was worried about me. I think things are better between us right now. I'll explain a little more tomorrow when I come to get my stuff."

"Okay. I'll keep your stuff safe."

"Good night."

"Night."

Yawning, Harry hung up the phone. What a night.


End file.
